


Eyes Inside your own

by Daeg



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, F/M, Fix-It, Fourth Wall, Happy Ending, Kink Meme, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Synthesis Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-22
Updated: 2013-05-22
Packaged: 2017-12-12 16:36:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/813681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daeg/pseuds/Daeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Masskink, Inspired by Stranger than Fiction.</p><p>(...) What if, halfway through the game, Shepard figured out that she was just that--a character in a fictional story? (...) She, of course, says "Fuck all that nonsense" and tries her best to rewrite the game from the inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eyes Inside your own

This is it.  
  
She looked at her bloodied hand, and tried not to puke when the coppery smell became to much for her stomach to handle. She knew this had been coming, but seeing it? Being there? Feeling the pain of what she was sure were broken ribs and nose? You didn't ever get used to that.  
  
She looked at Anderson to her right. His eyes were closed and his face had too much blood for her to be able to properly see his expression. But one thing was certain, he looked dead.  
  
But looking wasn't the same was being, and that was enough to make her smile.  
  
She sat there, looking straight ahead, her left eye had pretty much given out on her, but she had other things to worry about.  
  
"Come on, you fucker." she whispered. She had that acid taste in her mouth again, and had to sit a bit straighter so she wouldn't puke.  
  
_<...Illusive Man will...Otherwise he may first kill Ander-...for a game over...keep talking and things can... >_  
  
There was a difference between knowing something would hurt, and then actually getting hurt. Words don't carry physical pain. But they do carry the emotional kind.  
  
"Hurry up..." she said to no one in particular. But her eyes were focused, giving off the vibe that she was glaring at air itself, as if it could somehow make time go faster.  
  
She knew what was coming, but she tried not to think about it. It only made her feel sick. Instead she thought back, and held on to her memories. It had taken time and effort, but she was proud to be able to think of Tali, alive and well. Legion, a bit worse for wear, but working, _alive_...Of Wrex, about to hold his first-born for the first time. Of Samara, happy with the thought of a bright and courageous daughter still alive. Guarrus' sweet smile when she told him "I love you" for the first time. All her friends, alive.  
  
All of them.  
  
No exceptions.  
  
She coughed, frustrated tears making her eyes burn. She fought the urge to rub them, not wanting to damage her sight more than it already was.  
  
She thought of Mordin, how she was glad she took Jack with her at that time. She'd done well during the suicide mission, keeping her shields around them, why wouldn't they work in the tower? She only needed to find someone to babysit her students and say the word "explosions" to make her agree to come.  
  
She thought of Thane, how she convinced him to lay low and be moved to a small arid hospital colony with his son. Kai Leng had the pleasure of meeting a very biotic and pissed off Samara that day instead. It went well.  
  
She blinked her tears away, and took deep breaths. For a second she thought she would die like this, here on amongst rivers of corpses. Not doing anything.  
  
She almost barked a laugh out, but it turned into a wheeze that made her bones rattle. Like hell that was happening now.  
  
She remembered Garrus's conversation before the race to the beam. She skipped ahead of the "you will never be alone" part of the heavenly bar conversation. None of them were going there soon. She would make sure of it.  
  
Finally a voice broke through the silence.  
  
_<...the very end of the gam-...Hackett...Crucible isn't firing... >_  
  
"Shepard. Commander?"  
  
She took a deep breath and started getting up.  
  
_<...ask what to do...fall and moan... crawl all the way to... >_  
  
"What do you need me to do?" she asked, even though she was already moving, trying hard not to fall down and actually succeeding. She tried not to laugh.  
  
"Nothing's happening. The Crucible's not firing."  
  
She was on her feet. Part of her sight had gone completely red, and she'd been lying if she said she wasn't worried about that. One of her feet was killing her, maybe actually killing her. Every time she moved she felt something sliding up and down. She was pretty sure her bones weren't meant to do that too. One of her arms was numb, and these were just the little things. But she was smiling like an idiot all the same.  
  
"It's got to be something on your end."  
  
She took no time answering.  
  
"I'm on it."  
  
But she didn't do anything. She just stood there, testing her balance, breathing in and out, pushing her nausea away.  
  
Instead she glared at a slot of metal on the floor. It was rather obvious if looked at properly, that it didn't quite fit with the others. She needed a bit more time before she was ready for an elevator ride.  
  
Silence again.  
  
"Can't you help me out here?"

She was going to turn back, she was. But she felt that if she turned around now, she'd fall on the floor. That was not the plan at all.  
  
"Just move, we don't have a lot of time." She said to the person behind her, and clenched her hands, easing some of the nervousness away.  
  
"You try being stuck in a cramped closet for nearly two days and then-" the woman behind her took a deep breath, clearly exhausted. "And then dragging a body all the way here. I was half convinced to just drop her and then grab a random corpse near the platform entry. Much closer from here you know?"  
  
Shepard sighed. Did she actually sound like that?  
  
"I'm going to faint if you don't hurry up." She said, taking a few steps towards the platform, but not yet stepping on it.  
  
Finally she saw the woman stand beside her, one arm around another woman. A very naked one.  
  
"You didn't even put some clothes on her?"  
  
A familiar face smirked at her, green eyes showing some of the pain she'd seen in her short life, but otherwise she was clean of blood, free of pain, and scarless. "Why? Do they need the clothes for something? I can see it now, Reaper fashion." she snorted, pulling the naked body up, so she could give her wounded companion a helping hand.  
  
Shepard took it, and lifted her foot, looking at her clone.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"Ready? Come on, Shepard, I was born ready." she shook the body a bit. "Unlike potato sack here, it's kinda disturbing... The non-consciousness thing."  
  
It was Shepard's turn to snort. "Be grateful, it's that potato sack that's solving all of this."  
  
The other's expression turned serious. She placed on foot on the platform, pulling Shepard and the body to her. It took but a second for it to start rising.  
  
_<...unconscious...start rising... the Child will walk towards her... >_  
  
They were silent.  
  
"You..." The red-headed woman started, making Shepard look at her. "I need to say this now, before I chicken out."  
  
Shepard nodded, silently asking her to continue.  
  
"Thank you." she said, surprising her companion. "I... For everything... For getting me out of that tank." her green eyes were watery as she spoke, but Shepard didn't stop her. "For... rescuing me and... and giving me a family." she squeezed Shepard's shoulder, in a mock embrace. "For not letting me end up like..." she looked at the naked body on her her side. Her red hair fell almost to her waist, much longer than her counterparts' and her face was slack as if in deep sleep, but her green eyes were open, blindingly taking in the world around her. The only thing that gave away life in her was the soft rise and fall of her chest. Her files said she was a failure, a mere shell, but Cerberus kept her, hoping to find a use for a living body with no soul. In the end, it wasn't Cerberus giving her purpose.  
  
"Do we really need to throw her down a ledge?" her companion asked curiously.  
  
She didn't want to think about that too, so she ignored the question.  
  
They stood there, once again in silence. Shepard felt a pang of guilt stabbing at her chest. She was going to do this, she had too. She couldn't let appearances make her feel bad for it.  
  
"I'm glad I found you too." She whispered, almost too low to be heard. Truth is, she did not expect much when she rescued her... But she was glad for what she did find.  
  
As if sensing her anguish, the other joked. "Come on! I've had enough of this place!"  
  
And that's all she needed to hear right then, especially from herself.

  
  
And if the startled look in the Child's face was enough to make her feel smug... Well then...  
  
She was Commander Shepard, after all.

 

She could do the impossible.

**Author's Note:**

> Not quite what asked for. I'd rather leave the "how did she know" up to readers, since it didn't made sense in my mind.
> 
> Shakarian as ordered. And a happy ending for all, even Clone.
> 
> Some references to Half-life (the title, also about the 4th wall), and Mission Horizon (I've had enough of this place! and I've had enough of this colony!).


End file.
